Seb's Corner. Update - March 2006 I first wrote this article around 2004, and the trick was working fine on a classic pre-SP1 Windows 2003 Server. People have reported that it also works when SP1 is installed. So I assume they are right since I have not tested it on this configuration. Some people also reported that the 'net' command should be used with the flag '/DOMAIN'. Once again I have not tested it. Séb Abstract I have recently installed a Windows 2003 Server at home and I set up a local domain using Active Directory features. A few tricks about resetting the Domain Admin Password on Windows 2000 Server have been published, but after Microsoft strengthened some security aspects on Windows 2003 Server, those hacks do not work anymore.
After struggling a few days, I finally managed to reset the domain account and I am going to present the trick to you in this paper. This trick has a few important requirements, be sure you meet them before yelling at me. Requirements These are compulsory! You need: Step 1. Unlocking Windows NT/2000/2003 Domain Controllers. Note: If you are trying to fix a server, please READ THIS ENTIRE PAGE and MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND IT before touching the server. I was recently tasked with "unlocking" a Windows 2000 server, where all of the following had happened: The Administrator password had been changed.
The owners didn't think that writing the Administrator password on a sticky-note on the wall next to the machine was a problem, even when the machine and the sticky-note were in a recess in a hallway, next to the door into the visitors' restrooms, where everybody who walked by could see them. The owners didn't think that using that same password for PC-Anywhere on every machine in the office was a problem. The owners didn't think that leaving the office manager's PC turned on, connected to a modem, with PC-Anywhere set to auto-answer, 24 hours a day, was a problem. The owners didn't think that using their telephone number as that password was a problem.
Grrrr... do I sound just a little bit repetitive here? Offline NT Password & Registry Editor. Use NewSID to modify a cloned server's SID on your Windows 2003 Server network. Official homepage of the xp-AntiSpy.